Dripping Yellow Madness
by TossingTheScissors
Summary: A familiar looking face from generations past returns to Free Country, stirring up the current way of life and questioning all that the characters currently believe about their past, present and future.
1. Prologue

Dripping Yellow Madness

By TossingTheScissors

PROLOGUE

It was a peaceful night in Free Country, USA. Bubs had shut off the lights in his concession stand on gone to sleep in the tiny apartment set up in his basement; Coach Z had shut his locker room door and shoved himself into one of the lockers; Homestar and Pom-Pom had just arrived from a wild Monopoly and Melonade party over at Marzipan's, the remnants of which Marzipan was cleaning up before tucking in for the night; Strong Bad and The Cheat lie asleep in the basement, the "Li'l Brudder and Maybe Tendafoot, Too!" show blaring noisily from their TV. All in all, the nightlife of Free Country, USA was all as it usually was around 2 in the morning. That is, until a mysterious visitor decided to make his presence known.

A mysterious figure drifted through the currently abandoned fields and roadways of Free Country, USA. He looked as if he knew where he was and where he was going, but did not know much about the stops in between, as if he had once been to this place but it had greatly changed since his last visit. He looked angrily down at a piece of paper with what one could assume to be a map or directions scrawled on it (it was so obviously hasty and messy it was hard to distinguish what it was) as he took a rest in an empty lot behind the dumpsters. He surveyed his surroundings - a bunch of junk, mostly. He saw an old Stop Sign leaning against a cinder block to his right, and to his left, an old tire leaning against the fence separating the lot from the dumpsters. He looked again at the scrawled sheet of paper then, regaining his composure, stood up and walked gingerly toward what only looked like a small rectangle in the distance.

In reality, the rectangle was Bubs' Concession Stand. The stranger was halfway towards the stand when he started to make out the distinguishing characteristics of Free Country's only shopping establishment. He smiled warmly as if the stand was an old and familiar hunt, bringing back pleasant memories.

The visitor stepped through the basketball courts and looked to his left to find a rusty-looking door with a barely discernible sign directly in the middle, reading "Men's". He smiled as the sweaty smell of the locker room reached him, an odd reaction for this kind of smell but typical for Free Country residents familiar to it.

The stranger took a few more steps past the courts before e was tackled by none other than the Coach Z himself. The coach had a fierce glint in his eye and an angry tone to his face.

"What are you doing here, stranger?" Coach Z demanded in his trademark accent.

"Zeddy - its me…" The strange visitor announced, obviously annoyed that he had been discovered midway through his mysterious travels.

"Xavier! Stan Xavier is it really you?" Coach Z said, standing up and allowing the man called Stan Xavier to do the same. Coach Z was obviously beaming, a tough feat for someone without a mouth. "Good ol' Coach X - I never thought I'd see the day when you came back from Big -"

"Please don't call me that…" Coach Z's fellow coach said in a hollow-soundign voice.

"Oh, sorry about that, Drippin' Yella…"

"No, not that either…" The multi-named visitor muttered quietly. "Just call me Stan…"

Coach Z seemed surprised at the man's request, but decided against looking any further into it and returned to his chipper mood. "Well, then, Stan - what brings you back to Free Country? Wow - y'know, Bubsy will be so happy to see you…"

"I came here to see Bubs, actually - and I didn't expect any interruptions…" He gave a condescending look to Coach Z, who blushed and tried to hide his face from behind his hat.

"Well, you know how it is with me and poking' my nose into other people's business…" Coach Z said with a light, forced laugh. He and Stan exchanged knowing looks and both flashed forced smiles at each other, as if remembering an unpleasant memory that they were trying to disguise as good fun in their minds.

"Well," Stan said, changing the subject. "As much as I'll love ot see my good friend Bubs again, I don't think the news I'm bringing will make him all too happy…" Stan sighed after saying this, and Coach Z could sense a weight and a burden he had obviously not picked up on before.

"Well, let's go up to the stand - I'm sure Bubs will be excited no matter what kind of news you bring…" Coach Z said this uncertainly, and walked ext to Stan with a nervous look in his eye. What did X know that he didn't?


	2. Old Friends

Dripping Yellow Madness

By TossingTheScissors

Chapter 1: Old Friends

Stan and Coach Z arrived at Bubs' Concession Stand in an oddly solemn mood. Stan's comment to Coach Z about his "news" had troubled the Coach deeply – just what kind of business had Stan been up to since he left Free Country, all those many years ago?

Stan stepped up to the door of the concession stand, and pulled out an old, rusty key that looked like it hadn't been used in years. Unsurprisingly, the door opened. Stan made his way to the right wall and knocked three times. A slide in the door swished open to reveal a staircase. Stan walked down, and Coach Z followed, bewildered. Coach Z had never been in Bubs' apartment before – in fact, he was only vaguely aware of its existence and never bothered to question where it could be hidden.

The staircase did not go down for long until they reached a tiny room with a bed on one side and a small bookshelf on the other. Lying on the bed was Bubs, who apparently had not even taken the trouble to get under the covers before crashing in his room. Coach Z snickered, snuck up to Bubs' bed silently, and began to tickle him.

A loud, hooting laugh erupted through the tiny room as Bubs jerked up, looking around the room. Bubs was about ready to direct his anger and confusion towards the Coach when he spotted Stan. Bubs' eyes opened wide as he goggled at the man standing at the foot of his bed.

"Dripping Yellow…" Bubs began, in a tone that reflected pure shock.

"Please!" Stan said, raising his voice. "It's not Dripping Yellow Madness and it's not Coach X! Lord knows how I survived with so many nicknames when I lived here. My name is STAN!"

This comment only added to Bubs' shock. At this point, Coach Z decided to add more to the discussion than a mere tickling fest.

"But you always loved your nicknames, X!" Coach Z interjected,

"STAN." Stan corrected firmly. "Times change, Zedbert. I can tell most of you are oblivious out here in the country, but bad things have been happening all around the world while I was gone. I helped but an end to them and thought I'd settle down, but there are rumors that they are… returning again." Stan gave both Bubs and Coach Z a pointed look… a meaningful look.

"Is that what brought you back?" Bubs asked, finally speaking.

"Yes." Stan said, pacing and taking on an explanatory tone. "It is time for both of you to fulfill your assigned missions, as I did when I left."

"I thought you said everything was over a long time ago. You said it was over before you left!" Coach Z said, pointing at Stan accusingly. "Did you lie to us?"

"To protect you both, yes." Stan said casually. "You both grew up here. I didn't. I didn't feel it was right to rip you two from your homes and place you in the alien world of Big City, USA. But I grew up there – I knew I could handle it. So, partly as an act of mercy, I fed you lies about returning home for sentimental reasons and let our plans fall to the wayside. I went to fight alone."

"But we were ready!" Bubs interjected. "We wouldn't let you go if we knew you were out having all the fun without us!"

"Precisely why I lied!" Stan said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I wouldn't describe fighting the most powerful and most evil force to ever threaten man 'fun!'"

"Well, I would!" Coach Z said smartly.

"That's nice…" Stan said, narrowing his eyes. "Because the reason I came back here is to say this: All deals are back on. I thought I had defeated him a few years ago, but the fact is I just managed to keep him at bay. And now he's more powerful than ever. You're coming with me to Big City to help me fight!" Stan let his words sink in. The looks of jealousy and betrayal in Bubs and Coach Z's eyes now turned to looks of fear.

"You mean… ACTUALLY go with you? LEAVE… Free Country?" Coach Z stammered.

"No way!" Bubs insisted. "Maybe when you first left, I would have come with you. Like I was supposed to! But not this time. I'm older, wiser, and there's money to be made!" Bubs glared at Stan, as if daring him to continue his proposal.

"I understand this is a rather late follow-up…" Stan said, half pleadingly and half smugly, as if hoping to win Bubs' approval but knowing he would win out in the end. "But you have to understand, if this evil is not defeated it may once again purge the boundaries of every town in the country. Even as far out as Free Country. You KNOW what happened last time." Stan stared pointedly at both of them.

"Yes…" Coach Z said, hanging his head. "A spy among us. Someone we wouldn't suspect…"

"Someone YOU let go right under your nose, Zedbert…" Stan said, smirking. "Don't you want a chance to redeem yourself from that horrible mistake you made?"

"Of course!" Coach Z said, jerking his head up with an almost unnatural newfound drive. "I'm in!" Coach Z turned his head to the man sitting on the bed. "And you, Bubsy?"

"No way!" Bubs said, and with that he curled up under the covers and shut his eyes tight, as if to say that he was done talking and going to sleep right then.

"Very well, then, if that's how you feel…" Stan said, sighing. "But, if you please, before you fall asleep… Could you take me to meet my child?"


End file.
